Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Fatima Bhutto. Abused Goddesses and more

Loved meeting Fatima Bhutto and launching her debut novel 'The Shadow of the Crescent Moon' in Mumbai last evening.
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This appeared in The Week...

Abused
Images

A few weeks ago, I was sent a link by a
female friend in America to a website featuring dramatically altered images of
popular Hindu Goddesses. She asked me whether the images would cause trouble
for the designers of the visuals in India. On the face of it, the ‘cause’ being
addressed via the campaign was worthy enough. It was meant to draw attention to
the alarming increase in violent crimes against women in India. But the manner
in which this serious issue was being tackled, left me feeling disturbed and
upset. Perhaps, that was the whole point. The images chosen for this purpose
were the ones we are entirely familiar with….. and love! Our pantheon of Goddesses (as depicted
through popular calendar art ) is easily and instantly recognizable. Garishly
painted posters of Saraswati, Lakshmi, Durga in
traditional forms (think Raja Ravi Varma), can be seen across the country,
often on pavements of our temple towns. Pilgrims buy these glossy prints to
display on their walls back home. The devout offer prayers and worship these
vivid art works. To be confronted by the same images …. but grotesquely distorted
and digitally transformed, came as a terrible shock. I certainly didn’t want to
look closely at this Saraswati’s face or
Lakshmi’s. Not if the well loved faces were projected with black eyes and
bruises, gashes and cuts. Was I being over sensitive? Goddesses as victims of
physical abuse ? Even if the intention is to draw parallels between the
battered state of our women in real life and the exalted position of our
Goddesses , sorry, but the message was lost in the sensationalistic approach
that shocked but did not connect. To me, those terrible images were an assault
on my senses. The horrible truth about how we treat women in India is known to
all. That the same woman who is publicly hailed as a Goddess, is often beaten
black and blue at home, is also not a secret. Even so, I couldn’t look at the
pictures without cringing. Purpose well served? Or side tracked?

I am sure there must be thousands of others
who took equal offence. Call it an exaggerated sense of sentimentality, but
there it is. I experienced strong revulsion
and deep anger, that has stayed. One can argue that the cause is bigger than
the depicted desecration. To that, I would counter argue : what about emotion?
Just as we respect the feelings of rape victims and refrain from flashing close
ups that high light evidence of physical brutality, believing such an act would
further traumatize the person, why not extend the same logic here? My more
cerebral girl friends have assured me this controversial campaign has succeeded
in what it set out to do. They say it has generated global attention and jolted
enough people. I am sure that is true. But jolted them into doing something
about the crisis? Or merely jolted them? There’s a huge difference.

We must know where to draw the line.
Especially when it involves religious sensitivities. I refuse to wear my religion on the sleeve, but
that does not give anybody the right to offend me in the name of a social
cause. We are in the midst of an overwhelming crisis involving defenceless
women and children – their safety, their health, their well being, their
future. Drawing world wide attention to this problem is our collective
obligation. But in the process, we also have a huge responsibility towards the
very segment we are attempting to aid. Campaigns that are so in your face, can
often be counter- productive. Rather than pushing us to do something about the
stepped up atrocities against women, such a strategy can push us away from
dealing with harsh and ugly realities. I
must have been taken off guard when I first encountered the Abused Goddesses.
But I experienced a sharp stab of pain, as I hastily turned away and tried in
vain to obliterate what I had seen.

Diwali will be here soon. Goddess Lakshmi
in all her glory, will be welcomed into millions of homes. Indians across the
world will pray for prosperity and peace for all. In those prayers will be
included the fervent hope that the future of women and children, not just in
our country, but wherever they are, will be safer and significantly more
secure. It is time for reflection and respect. Not shock and abuse. Let a
thousand lights illuminate our minds and hearts.

27 comments:

I agree with you.Abuse and crimes against women in India can be depicted by other ways without disfiguring our Goddesses.anyway our goddesses are capable of punishing such evildoers.I agree that such pictures and books should be condemned.

I wish you had same wisdom when MF Hussain was making those paintings of Hindu goddess.

I challenged you at that time also not to defend such creatures who play with emotions of people. Your wisdome at that time was freedom of expression. Well...my suggestion was if you are so open minded then hang a poster of Nude prophet Mohammad chased by a bull in front of your house.

I remember my media professor lecturing us for what seemed like the thousandth time on the term "desensitized". We are so used to seeing violence, rape, abuse blah blah, we need something brash and bold to grab our attention. If that means, distorting some mythological images, then why not? The target audience includes bus drivers, illiterates. An image like that will surely grab their attention as well as the uncaring, jaded masses.

Unfortunately your suppirt of MF Hussain's sentiments comes to mind and an involuntary parallel is drawn.. If not then (when it only created shock and hurt), why now (when art, sentimentality be damned is actually trying to create a change in the way we think...)

It may have offended you, but I am sure it touched a chord in a lot of super pious men who whole heartedly embrace domestic violence. the next time they worship Lakshmi, I am sure atleast a handful would have not been able to look at her in the eye, and that is a start enough...

No Shobhaa. I was not repulsed like how I was when I visited mf hussain's paintings of Indian goddesses & Bharat mata. http://www.newsxs.com/en/go/13513559/BuzzFeed/just shows how we treat our women. That's all. It doesn't rejoice in hurting our sensibilities showing them in the nude, whatever excuse you may give.

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I don't connect and agree to those pictures at all. I don't think it is serving its exact purpose.Only someone who doesn't underhand and relate to those photos can think of doing it for a cause like this...the goddesses are merely symbolic for courage and they are depicted abused how is that making sense...

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